1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a silicon contactor, and more particularly, to a silicon contactor of which a side contacts test terminals of a semiconductor testing device and of which an other side contacts ball leads of a semiconductor device in order to be used to test the semiconductor device and which includes conductive silicon parts electrically connecting the ball leads of the semiconductor device to the test terminals of the semiconductor testing device and an insulating silicon part supporting the conductive silicon parts.
2. Description of the Related Art
When processes of fabricating semiconductor devices are completed, a test for the semiconductor devices is to be performed. A testing device and a contactor are needed to perform the test for the semiconductor devices, wherein the contactor electrically connects the semiconductor devices to each other.
Among contactors, a silicon contactor has two characteristics: densely and electrically connecting semiconductor devices to each other without using an arbitrary means such as soldering, mechanical combinations, or the like; and absorbing mechanical impacts or modifications to flexibly connect the semiconductor devices to each other. Thus, the silicon contactor has been widely used as a contactor of a semiconductor testing device.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional silicon contactor 100, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a ball lead 170 of FIG. 1 and a conductive silicon part 110 of FIG. 1 contacting the ball lead 170.
The conventional silicon contactor 100 includes the conductive silicon parts 110 which contact the ball leads 170 of a ball grid array (BGA) semiconductor device 160 and an insulating silicon part 130 which operates as an insulating layer between the conductive silicon parts 110.
Upper and lower surfaces of the conductive silicon parts 110 respectively contact the ball leads 170 of the BGA semiconductor device 160 and test terminals 150 of a semiconductor testing device 140 to electrically connect the ball leads 170 to the test terminals 150.
The conductive silicon parts 110 are formed by mixing conductive powders 120 with silicon and then hardening the mixture and operate as conductors for conducting electricity. The conductive powders 120 have ball or sphere shapes.
Referring to FIG. 2, the conductive silicon part 110 of the conventional silicon contactor 100 is pressed up and down to improve a contact characteristic when the conventional silicon contactor 100 contacts the BGA semiconductor device 160 and the semiconductor testing device 140 to test the BGA semiconductor device 160. When the conductive silicon part 110 is pressed, the upper conductive powders 120 are pushed down, and middle conductive powders 120 are pushed aside little by little.
The conductive powders 120 used in the conductive silicon parts 110 of the conventional silicon contactor 100 have structures in which small ball type powders are fixed by silicon rubber. Therefore, after a lot of semiconductor tests are performed, the conductive powders 120 come out of or are sunk into the conductive silicon parts 110, thereby lowering electric and mechanical characteristics of the conventional silicon contactor 100.
Also, since the ball leads 170 come into surface-contacts with the conductive powders 120, foreign substances stick to areas in which the ball leads 170 contact the conductive silicon parts 110. Therefore, the electrical characteristic of the conventional silicon contactor 100 is lowered or an electrical connection of the conventional silicon contactor 100 is cut.